Swimming lessons to be given for free in North Sydney, Pymble and West Pymble

SWIM schools in North Sydney, Pymble and West Pymble will be giving free swimming lessons to kids under five during Learn to Swim Week from September 24 and October 2.

In the 2015-16 financial year, 280 people drowned in Australian waters – a 5 per cent jump from the 267 drowning deaths of the ­previous year, according to a new report from the Royal Life Saving Society Australia.

The free swimming lesson program was announced just as research conducted by Poolwerx, which also organised the national awareness week, revealed almost a third of parents with children younger than five in NSW do not send their children to swimming lessons.

For 41 per cent of parents, “lack of money” was the main reason why their children were not taking lessons.

Ambassador of Learn to Swim Week and former Olympic swim coach Laurie Lawrence said children’s lives were too important to be put at risk by financial constraints.

“We want to see the day when we’re able to report that child deaths due to drowning have reached the magic number of zero, and if offering free lessons is what it takes then that’s what we’ll do,” he said.